Balkanized Stuarts | M3 Stuarts in Partisan service and their modifications

In an attempt to free their country from foreign invaders, the Yugoslav Communist Partisans were often faced with shortages of war materiel, especially anti-tank weapons and tanks. Fortunately, after 1943, the Western Allies decided to send a variety of war materiel, including M3A1 and A3 “Stuart” light tanks. While these tanks were a welcome addition, their guns were quite inadequate for either anti-tank use or in assaulting fortified enemy positions. By the end of 1944, the Partisans resolved this issue by mounting captured German weapons, such as the 7.5 cm (2.95 in) PaK 40 anti-tank gun, and 2 cm (0.78 in) Flakvierling 38 anti-aircraft guns, on their Stuart tanks, creating some bizarre vehicles.
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Sources:
Artillery From WWI to the present day, Michael E. Haskew, Amber Books 2010.
Waffentechnik im Zweiten Weltkrieg, Alexander Ludeke.
Fighting men of WWII Axis Forces, David Miler, Chartwell Books.
German Artillery of World War Two, Ian V.Hogg
Oklopne jedinice na Jugoslovenskom ratištu, Bojan B. Dumitrijević i Dragan Savić, Institut za savremenu istoriju, Beograd 2011.
Armored units and vehicles in Croatia during WW II, Part I Allied armored vehicles, Dinko Predoević, Rijeka 2002.
Modernizacija i intervencija, Jugoslovenske oklopne jedinice 1945-2006, Institut za savremenu istoriju, Beograd 2010.
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An article by Marko P
A script by Marko P
Narrated by Wood
Edited by ‪@BattlehammerWoT‬
Sound edited by Wood

[@REDARROW_A_Personal]

This is why the Balkans need it's own tree in War Thunder.

[@bigfart05]

nah they could just add the pak stuart to the Soviet or italian tree l just don’t think there’s enough custom tanks the emerged from the balkans to make lts own tree

[@vaderyt7833]

I agree we need it

[@Hatsuzu]

@@bigfart05 you're wrong

[@bigfart05]

@@Hatsuzu ok?

[@wolfehoffmann2697]

@@bigfart05 The reason you're wrong is because the Balkans as a whole produced a wide variety of modified captured or leased tanks, some domestic designs that were mostly based on soviet tanks, and of course received quite a number of foreign models over the decades. It would frankly end up looking a lot like the Swedish/Nordic tree or the Israeli tree.

[@matejracetin4375]

One of the flak Stuarts can still be seen in Pivka war museum. Really nice tank to see

[@TanksEncyclopediaYT]

A picture please. We've scoured the internet and we found no such thing.

[@matejracetin4375]

@@TanksEncyclopediaYT sorry don't have the picture of it. I visited museum 7 years ago. I will ask some friends if they have any pictures or if i'm an idiot and imagined the tank being there 😅

[@andrejvidmar7967]

@@TanksEncyclopediaYT there are just 1:35 scale models on display. Next to stock M3A1 and M3A3.

[@Scrat335]

Where is the museum?

[@Arhpeco]

@@Scrat335 in Slovenia in the town called Pivka

[@neroserafimovich]

Yes please! More Yugoslav tanks and modifications!

[@randomexcessmemories4452]

These kinds of modifications are the best!

[@jackjones9460]

Any vehicle to carry heavy weapons would be a great benefit! Even Stuart tank chassis would excel over a car or horse drawn wagon. Mechanized warfare was just getting started and the Yugoslavs carefully considered all their options.

[@genericpersonx333]

In fairness, in order to be better than towing by horse or automobile, the tank chassis has to be sufficiently large and robust enough to actually move and fire the gun. If the tank chassis is overloaded, the chassis might break down more often. If the chassis is not robust to handle the recoil energy of the gun, that is bad mojo too. If the chassis is unbalanced, the whole thing might tip over or worse. Any one of these things could make it preferable to use horses even if that has its own problems. Fortunately, the Stuart worked fine for the Jugos.

[@TheArklyte]

They also have the weirdest Somua S35 with 6 pounder and M4 with A-19 122mm... the latter likely had the turret welded down, but idk, the turret ring difference between IS-2 and M4 is surprisingly not that big so maybe it was still possible to rotate.

[@ravenouself4181]

I do believe they used the artillery/howitzer version of the 122 mm gun for that.

[@TheArklyte]

@@ravenouself4181 the claim is specifically A-19, not M-30. There is no such thing as short version of A-19, different breach, different ballistics.

[@MonolophosaurusEnj0yer]

@@ravenouself4181 the SO-122 (The name of the tank) used an A-19 gun. Photos of it show such a gun.

[@ravenouself4181]

@@MonolophosaurusEnj0yer Which is the artillery gun, yeah, I did some "snooping around" since then. Also, to specify, I was trying to bring up the recoil mechanism difference between a tank gun and artillery gun.

[@ravenouself4181]

@@TheArklyte Which is the Artillery version of the 122mm gun, not the IS-2 one, that being the D-25T. I never said short version, but Howitzer. I said Artillery/Howitzer because I am unsure what it's line of fire was, low or high. The main reason why I even commented my comment 4 months ago was due to the turret ring. Usually, Artillery guns have different recoil mechanisms then tank guns, which is the main difference between the A-19 and DT-25T. My point is that we can't really use the IS-2 as a set example due to this.

[@TransGirlGaming]

"Mom can we have Tiger?" "No we have Tiger at home" Tiger at home: 0:30

[@aleksjamnik5360]

I mean to be fair that is a better tank

[@jeremy9416]

Best title ever. Balkanization you killed me 😂

[@ihatecabbage7270]

Thanks for the video, these tanks are rarely even being footnoted, I thought the Partisans are just men with guns and a few portable anti tank weapons, didn't even think they have proper tanks

[@virginiagreene9069]

During that time the Partisans even had an air force,mostly with captured aircraft.

[@123JWhyte]

The sig 33 armed version could be a captured panzer 1 sig 33 or one of the other vehicles armed with the gun

[@timothywood4402]

Awesome work guys.To say the information on this subject is rare is an understatement but you have dug up some very interesting and informative things.Thanks

[@aymonfoxc1442]

I love wacky modifications like these! Keep up the good work folks 👏 👍

[@nrudnjanin]

During short April war of 1941. there was one tank on tank engagement when Yugoslav Hotckiss H-35 and FT-17 tanks unsuccessfuly engaged advancing german column near Topola. First usage of tanks by mixed chetnik/partisan forces was during the siege of Kraljevo in October 1941. They used two Hotckiss H-35/39 captured from germans. Tanks were operated by Yugoslav Royal Army officers and soldiers.

[@LepiSladja]

This would be great prem in WT

[@derrickstorm6976]

True, but also don't need more Pak premiums that veteran playes use to pray on newbies

[@Hatsuzu]

It should be part of a Yugoslav focus tree.

[@Justin-rv7oy]

Really well done video

[@ollep9142]

My few comments: 1. Replacing the main gun was probably better than not doing it. 2. Removing the hull MG seems reasonable. Free up space and give the infantry a much needed MG 3. Crew. Why an assistant driver but no commander? Better to have a designated commander on top and just the driver up front.

[@rorythomas9469]

The assistant driver position on the Stuart was where the radio was, so I suspect that’s what he’s mainly there for. The pictures show them out of combat. Entirely possible that the person sitting in that seat was just there as it’s more comfortable and safer than riding on top, and in combat he’d go to a position on the roof.

[@rubberwoody]

you can't use an m1919A4 for infantry use unless it also came with a tripod

[@ollep9142]

@@rubberwoody Mounts are easy to make from scratch, so I see no issue there.

[@ESCalation]

These videos are becoming better and better!

[@petesheppard1709]

Until watching this video (and checking Wiki), I didn't know that some M3s had redesigned hulls with overhead hatches for the driver and bow gunner. I thought those were unique to M5s. I really did learn something today; thanks!

[@jlvfr]

Mad Max: Balkans

[@protohass]

The second song in the intro was hard to find I searched for an hour then it popped up the next day on my recommended feed one of my favs

[@Ryuko-T72]

Also on the topic of stuarts i dont know if you made a video on this already but my local regiment has one on display. It was rebuilt from a damaged stuart. They took the turret off and made it an ammo carrier / apc.

[@ivanstepanovic1327]

One of unmodified Stuarts was placed on display in the city of Kraljevo, Serbia as a monument. It was there for years and years until it was quietly removed recently without any explanation, official statement or whatever. Up to this day, there is no public statement about its removal or whatever happened to it, to the anger of locals who still wonder "where is our tank"...

[@MrNicholas89]

Nice. Got info on the captured Panzer III and Stug III by the soviet? Hope there's a video of it

[@Luisfernando-kr7wq]

From México to Argentina the stuart was the vw beetle of tanks.." everybody had one" 🎉😅❤

[@alancranford3398]

What do I think about the Yugoslav-modified M3 Stuart tanks? "A Partisan has to do what a Partisan has to do." Noted in the video was that the 37mm main gun wasn't able to kill German tanks (though light armor was vulnerable) nor destroy fortifications. There was also an ammunition supply problem with the US guns. Not to mention repair of damaged tanks--no replacement turret with new gun? Even in 1943 there was a shortage of Allied tanks. Why didn't Mother Russia send over "surplus" T-26 tanks? If there were any left, that is. The T-26 worked in the Spanish Civil War, during the invasion of Finland (there were problems with leadership and tactics, but the tanks worked) and in the invasion of Iran. The T-26's 45mm main gun was capable of killing Mark III and early Mark IV Panzers, and all lessor threats. That same gun required a robust fortification to resist being destroyed. Why M3 Stuart tanks and not Soviet T-26 tanks?

[@TheArklyte]

Because Stuart doesn't pop when being looked at, it's reliable and actually has reverse speed. T-26 was being critiqued for having paper thin armor in Spanish Civil War(one of the differences between it and italian M13/40 bloodline copied from it being protection), it was main target of finnish antitank rifles(the tank was lost in such numbers that finns were able to standardize upon it and equip their own domestic tank units) and especially during the opening of german invasion, though by that point it was obsolete. Surprisingly it and BT did well in Khalkin Gol, though losses were higher then japanese ones once again.

[@hrky7595]

I dont think there was much T26s left in operating condition by late 1943. And there was a problem of how to get them to Yugoslavia. Russians were still fighting the Germans deep inside Russia in early '44. Major ports in Crimea were liberated only in late '43 and even then weren't used for shipment of land-lease - all that was done through Murmansk or Vladivostok. But even if the Turks would've let them pass through Bosporus - the Germans were in control of Eastern Adriatic as late as mid 1944. Only way to supply the partisans was from Bari to Vis (which itself was just a small fishing harbor - not a commercial port by any stretch of imagination). The goods were then smuggled to the troops fighting inland. Only after major ports of Split and Dubrovnik were liberated (late 1944) did the real supply convoys start. And even then the Germans were raiding the shipping and ports as late as Feb 1945

[@allangibson8494]

Russia lost 90% of its pre 1941 tanks by the end of 1941. The British lend-lease tanks delivered in November 1941 made up half the available tanks in the Russian army at the end of 1941.

[@justapanzercrewmanwithwifi1070]

Video on the yugo m91 vihor?

[@ScreamingSturmovik]

i HIGHLY doubt that the SIG 33 was put on the Stuart as i bet the recoil would flip it, at least the Pz.1 was really short and all the weight was down low, also the SIG 33 was really heavy and would make the Stuart ridiculously top heavy, super dangerous for a tank that tall

[@tomaspostorivo]

Man, i just love the title and the thumbnail. It makes me laugh a lot 😂

[@kurt5490]

At the end of the war, an amazing amount of equipment was sold at ridiculously low give away prices. I've thought the m3 would make a decent 120mm mortar carrier. It's good to see I'm not the only 1. Even if it was misidentified, it's still seen as a valid concept. Ammo capacity would be a challenge. 1 ammo carrier per battery of 2 mortar carriers?

[@sealove79able]

The Partisan marderII. I like it. They did not have any Fireflies. How come they did not mount an 105mm or 75mm gun howitzer on the Stuart or the 6pdr?

[@christineshotton824]

"Pimp my Stuart" actually made me laugh out loud.

[@Tarik360]

Sarme-stug and burek-wind.

[@lovrokozar5927]

The reason some vehicles lack browning machineguns was probeably because they gave them to the troop

[@christineshotton824]

Now I want to see a 17pdr mounted on a Stuart.

[@jakemocci3953]

You should do one on the Serbian war train

[@REDARROW_A_Personal]

You mean the Krajina Express? There were a few armored trains during the Yugoslav Wars. I would love to know more about them.

[@ZS-rw4qq]

1:46 Chetniks have pretty much turned to collaboration by that point

[@Heavy-Pyro]

Can you do the CV 33/5/8 next pls

[@reform-revolution]

seems like it would be a short video

[@GordonJordanGJ4797]

We need a yougoslav tech tree for these tanks in war thunder

[@steffent.6477]

We need those M3s in Steel Division

[@commissarblyt.8073]

Honestly I’m surprised on the fact that the partisans even got Allied armor in the first place.

[@z000ey]

Trieste used to be the go-to place in the late '70s and '80s where Yugoslavs would go and buy western stuff, and many in their twenties hitched rides to Trieste in order to finally get a pair of jeans (they were available in YU in the late '80s though). So, here's a joke from that era: A grandson goes to see his grandpa before going to Trieste for the first time to get his jeans, and asks the grandpa has he ever been there, to give him some advice. The grandpa then tells his grandson: "Well kiddo, of course I've been to Trieste! I'll tell you how it was when I was there: we all went to a club, drank all the booze there was, danced on the bar, pissed on the floor, f... all the whores and off we went without paying a dime! Time of my life!" The grandson then merrily goes to Trieste, and returns to his grandpa afterwards. He starts ranting: "Grandpa, it was horrible! Me and my friends tried to do exactly as you have done, but we got kicked out immediately and then beat up by the police, didn't even get time to buy jeans and we were already thrown back across the border!!! Why did you tell me all these stories about you in Trieste?!?" The grandpa then asks the grandson: "Well, tell me whom did you go to Trieste with?!?" The grandson responds: "With my high school mates, of course!" Grandpa then says: "Well, I went to Trieste with the 1st Tank Brigade!"

[@ljubastojanovic608]

You missed the time for app. 15 Years. Yugoslavs started to travell to Trieste / Trst in early 60s, the good quaity jeans were produced in late 70s. Eg. I used to by Lee Cooper jeans made by BEKO Belgrade, in fact You could by licenced Addidas program made by Planika Slovenia or Puma made by Borovo Croatia, Simnod made by Kostana Serbia etc.

[@jacopoiurkic8769]

They saw combat in the battle for Trieste in Italy

[@tsclly2377]

For the Stuart.. it would have been better if 1 or 2 20cm guns were mounted on the original turret for trench/house assaults.and used as a towing vehicle for the PAK 7.5 guns.. this ids because mounting the gun on such a light tank would rock the vehicle so bad that the follow up shots would be over twice as slow as a towed gun. Over gunning a chassis is one of the most common mistakes still done to this day.

[@mikepette4422]

@ 8:37 yikes ! 2 x 120 mm mortars on a half track ? now thats some ugly close support you'd not want to get caught under. i bet they dropped the mortar bombs one after another with 2 loaders operating as fast as they could. nobody liked being under fire from those things ! 35 pound bombs, really nasty almost 5 times heavier than the 81 mm mortar which were bad enough already.

[@wimmeraparanormal6581]

Intro music 'Space Lord' by Monster Magnet anyone??? very similar.

[@merafirewing6591]

Imagine these in War Thunder.

[@Hatsuzu]

God I want that Yugoslav tree in war thunder.

[@Ryuko-T72]

How did they deliver these tanks to partisans? Also why only stuarts?

[@comentedonakeyboard]

If i understand it correctly, by ship, after the allies conquered southern Italy (thus opening the Adriatic).

[@VersusARCH]

Probably surplus from Africa once the British 8th army tank units swapped their Stuarts for the more capable (and sought after) Shermans for the invasion of Sicily and Italy. I imagine some Grants/Lees would be available too, but were probably not delivered after takin into consideration logistical constraints (Partisans still had to deliver the tanks from the island of Vis to the mainland with boats of their own) as well as prevalent terrain in Yugoslavia, particularly along the Adriatic coast.

[@ivankrylov6270]

Love the partisan side of WW2

[@mixer244]

They need tech tree in World of tanks

[@LordRumCake]

I want one of these Stuart tanks in war thunder

[@allenshaw6970]

Could the M3 and M5 been upgunned with a 57mm gun? Anyone know?

[@GENERICNICK-kj4lm]

Id imagine that the turret would be way too cramped even if it could fit. Also would wonder the rounds be too long to load properly?

[@kocovgoce]

in old pictures I have seen a partisan m3 stuart with 40 mm italian anti aicraft gun

[@anthonyiocca5683]

Those are M5 Stuarts not M3 the M5 has more sloped armor that will easily deflect shotgun slugs and .22 long rifle ammunition…

[@TanksEncyclopediaYT]

Nope, they are M3A3s.

[@1joshjosh1]

Tito kicks ass.

[@comentedonakeyboard]

Yugo AA

[@xedaslopes3975]

the allies switched their help mostly to the partisans, because like true communists they never cared too much about civilian casualties or the retribution attacks of the axis forces unlike the chetniks

[@grievetan]

Gaijin pls

[@sugarcubee1107]

Ah, yes. Serbian-operated American tank supplied to them by the British is fighting against the Russian tank operated by the Germans.

[@VersusARCH]

With a bolted down captured German gun. The circle is complete. (PS captured Soviet, not Russian tank)

[@OliverFlinn]

We need a Yugoslavian tech tree in WT.

[@mikepette4422]

sheesh only TWO scout cars ? you'd think they'd be a little freer with those. look at all the man power wasted by needing to have occupying troops in the Balkans. And they couldn't use the very lowest quality they had to have some combat ability because the chetniks and partisans' were no pushovers.. same with the rising greek resistance. just more of the many dumb things the nazis did to shoot their own war efforts down.

[@pavleh4602]

Yes please more Partizan content. Ps Četniks openly sided with the fascist ( with the ustaša Italians and Germans)

[@INSANESUICIDE]

Not I would say sided with, more like sided against. Correct me of I'm wrong but Yugoslavia made an alliance/agreement with Germany, the air force officer corps which were mostly pro British did a coup and went against Germany, the cetniks were royalists that wanted the king back on top. And the large variety of partisans were anything from anarchists to communists to ethno nationalists/separatists for their respective cultures and regions right?

[@pavleh4602]

@@INSANESUICIDE partizans were from all peoples of the nation and where the only opposition to the occupationof the country( Croats Serbs Slovenian makenonian montenegran ) četniks where sreb ultra nacionalist whom wanted to create an greater serbia and ethnicity cleanse the kingdom ( same as ustaše but kill the other peoples in the ndh) .

[@lutin_mi06]

Shut up

[@fixmehanicar]

History is written by winners. I wouldnt be soo keen in stapeling Cetniks as colaborators. Evidence shows all fractions were colaborating with anyone in power to get rid of other fractions. Thankyou for your objective aproach to whole situation.

[@atanasijesimic4651]

@@pavleh4602 Source? Don't get ahead of yourself. There were various Chetnik groups with different goals and ideas but JVuO were recognized as the only legitimate resistance movement on the Yugoslav territory by the Allies in the early part of the war, a title well justified considering they liberated large swathe of land from the German occupation in southeast Serbia.

[@oim7392]

And from 1:25 how slipped typical serbian LIE, at second half of 1941. Chetniks changed side and start attacking partisans. Check it for yourself.

[@blackwolf7487]

The historical context you are talking about is incorrect. The Cetniks were collaborators of the occupying army in order to achieve their nationalist goals, and this is the reason they lost the support of the Western allies in 1943.

[@matovicmmilan]

If Chetniks were indeed German collaborators why did the Germans offer 100.000 Marks in gold to whoever captures and brings Chetnik leader Draža Mihajlović to them?

[@blackwolf7487]

@@matovicmmilan Because they changed sides in the war. And the Germans offered that sum for J.B. Tito. not for Mihajlovic. At the end of the war, Mihajlovic was put in front of a firing squad as an accomplice of the occupiers.

[@maxkeller102]

2nd! :D

[@b127ritter2]

24th

[@rcajavus8141]

Šibenik had first european hydroelectric power station Jaruga Hydroelectric Power Plant, commisioned to supply power for gypsen factory and streetlights of Šibenik only TWO DAYS after Niagara Falls power station out of respect for Tesla and his help to accquire and install Jaruga machinery, so dont ask how the guns were mounted because Croatia had industrial capabilites to build Austro-Hungarian Navy, sooo plenty of talented and skilled workers in whole Croatian Adriatic coast. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaruga_Hydroelectric_Power_Plant

[@matovicmmilan]

Nikola Tesla was a Serb. And Croatia didn't exist at the time, only Austria-Hungary.

[@TJ-xmm]

A German gun mounted on a american Tank take down a russian t34 Operated by germans😂

[@jakerulesgaming1124]

@warthunder gib plz